Nothing, nothing. In this way I make ghosts for myself. I was involved, even if only slightly, solely in the passage […] For a moment I thought I saw something real in the description of the landscape.
Friday essay: ‘All I am is literature’ – Franz Kafka’s diaries were the forge of his writing
I have a theory that there are two types of dinner guests: “characters” and “glues”. Characters are big personalities. They enjoy storytelling and tend to be animated and performative. At times the room feels like their stage. They can also be provocative. These types of people are entertainers and help create an atmosphere that is lively. Too many characters, though, and they compete for attention, throwing off the balance. Glues, on the other hand, are people who are easy to talk to and accommodating. They listen more than they talk and have the ability to make their dinner-table neighbour feel comfortable and heard. They hold the characters together. But if you end up with too much glue, you run the risk of a dull night.
AI in publishing
In Publishers Weekly Thad McIlroy makes the case that AI Is About to Turn Book Publishing Upside-Down.
He goes so far as to say that:
I believe that every function in trade book publishing today can be automated with the help of generative AI. And, if this is true, then the trade book publishing industry as we know it will soon be obsolete. We will need to move on.It'll certainly be interesting to see if: "ChatGPT will become the patron saint of the slush pile", weeding out a great deal.
Interesting, also, that he sees copyediting as the first part of the process that will be displaced by AI:
I don’t think that GPT-4 can yet handle copyediting to the standard that book publishers require. But that ability is going to be here sooner, not later. While professionally copyedited books may still be “better” to a refined editor’s eye, you won’t be able to sell more books with the professional human touch. They will already be good enough.(Ah, great, settling for 'good enough' .....)